Unsheathed Claws
Prologue Rain poured down from threatening dark clouds. Lightning split the sky with a brilliant flash. Thunder roared and wind shook the StreamClan camp. Suddenly, an ear-splitting screech sounded above the storm. "Firetail's kits are coming!" Icefeather, the medicine cat, leaped to her paws at the sound of her aprentice, Leafberry's, cry.She bolted out of her den like a silver streak and raced into the nursery. Firetail was crouched in the center, her ginger flanks heaving, and her faced twisted in pain. "Get back, all of you!" Icefeather ordered the small crowd that had gathered. She turned to her apprentice. "Leafberry!" She screeched above the storm, "Go and fetch me a stick! Something stout, that Firetail can bite on when the pain comes!" Leafberry nodded, her green eyes wide. She turned and raced off, her pale gray paws pounding the earth. Firetail let out a screech of pain. Icefeather hurried to her side and gave her a few poppy seeds. At that moment Leafberry returned with the stick. "Bite down on this," The gray-and-brown she-cat nudged it toward Firetail with a flick of her ears. Firetail gingerly took the stick in her teeth. A black tom with large, friendly amber eyes pushed his way through to the front of the crowd and crouched by Firetail. "Is she going to be alright?" he asked Icefeather, his eyes full of worry. Icefeather twitched her tail. She didn't have time for this. "Of course she'll be ok." Icefeather's ears flattened. "If you get out of the way, Beetlefang!" she almost snarled. Beetlefang stepped back, surprised at Icefeather's temper. The silver tabby darted back into the den. Yowls of pain were heard, followed by hushed reassuring, and then, after what seemed like forever... tiny mews. Icefeather stepped out of the den, panting. "Firetail's fine. Two she-cats." she sighed in relief. Lightning split the sky again and thunder crashed and roared. Inside the den, a tiny black-and-orange she-kit wailed in fear and pressed closer into her mother's belly fur. Firetail stroked her back with her tail. "Hush, little one..." she whispered. Beetlefang padded softly into the den. "Two she-cats!" he said in a soft hushed voice. "I'm so proud of you, Firetail." he touched muzzles with the orange she-cat. Firetail curled her tail around the two bundles of fur. "What should we name th-" "You're naming them already?" A young kit bounded into the nursery. He was a very light gray tom with black spots on his tail, paws, and face. His eyes were very dark blue, like the middle of a lake. "Can I help?" he squeaked. "Darkkit!" his mother stepped into the nursery, "What are you doing in here, bothering a she-cat who just kitted minutes ago? Just let her breathe for a minute!" she scolded angrily. Darkkit lowered his head and shifted his paws. "He's alright, Silverpond. He can help if he wants." Firetail reassured her. Darkkit stood up straighter. "You mean I can help name them?" "If you come up with a name good enough." Darkkit was shocked beyond words. He'd get to name a future warrior of his Clan! "O-ok... " he stammered, his mind racing. "What names have you two come up with?" he asked. Beetlefang curled his tail around the kits. "We haven't yet, but I was thinking something like Clawkit." Firetail widened her eyes. "Claw''kit? That's too violent a name for a little bundle of fur. I think we should name them Softkit and Honeykit." Darkkit thought for a moment. He looked at the tiny black-and-orange kit. "Maplekit..." he said quietly. Firetail tipped her head "What was that?" she asked. Darkkit looked up. "Maplekit! The little black-and-orange one should be Maplekit. It just kind of... fits." Beetlefang and Firetail looked at each other, then looked back. "Not bad, Darkkit. We'll name her Maplekit for you." Beetlefang concluded. Lionkit fought to contain his excitement. Firetail lifted her head, "How does Ivykit sound for the tortoiseshell one?" "It sounds good!" Beetlefang purred. "Way better that Softkit..." he added under his breath. Darkkit padded forward to Maplekit, who was now asleep. "We're going to be best friends, you and me." he whispered. "I'll teach you how to hunt and how to fight. We'll be unstoppable, just you wait!" he gently touched his nose to hers. Chapter 1 "Maplepaw! Ivypaw! Maplepaw! Ivypaw!" Maplepaw tried as best she could to keep calm. She had been waiting forever for this! Oakstar rested his muzzle on her forehead, and Maplepaw licked his shoulder respectfully, as she saw the other apprentices do when they got their ceremony. She ran over and touched noses with her new mentor, Wolfpelt, and then bounded over to join her friends. "Well done, Maplepaw!" "Congratulations!" "Wow, you got Wolfpelt? She's the best warrior in the Clan!" Words flooded in from all her friends at once. "Let her breathe." a tom's voice purred in amusement. Maplepaw turned around. "Darkpaw!" she greeted her friend, exploding into purrs. He smiled. "So you finally made it into the apprentice's den, huh? It took you long enough." Maplepaw pretended to cuff him over the ear, "It took you a long time too, you big furball." Just then, Maplepaw's friend Shadowkit bounded over to them. "You're lucky Maplepaw! I'm a moon older than you, and I still have my kit name." Maplepaw looked at the black-and-gray tom. "And you're taller than me too!" Shadowkit puffed out his chest proudly and stood up straight. "Yeah... I guess I am!" Wolfpelt stepped beside Maplepaw. "It's time for your first training session, Maplepaw. Are you ready?" Maplepaw's orange ears pricked up. "Yeah!" "Then let's go. I trust you know how to walk out of the camp?" the gray she-cat asked sarcastically. "Oh, y-yes, Wolfpelt." Maplepaw stammered, not wanting to make a fool of herself. Heading toward the camp entrance, she looked back to see Shadowkit mimicking Wolfstep's sarcasm, and Darkpaw shooting him a warning glare. Maplepaw stepped closer to Wolfpelt, not wanting to get lost in the unfamiliar territory. She opened her mouth as a wave of scents suddenly came crashing down on her. Wolfpelt glanced at the black-and-orange apprentice. "Smell anything?" she asked. "Oh, yes!" Maplepaw answered eagerly. " But... I don't really know what. It's so many different scents at once!" The silver she-cat nodded. "That can happen on your first few days. Soon you'll be able to distinguish the scents from one another." Maplepaw let out a small purr of excitement and tried to scent the air again. She could smell cats, cats from her camp, and lots of plants. Ferns, dandelions, trees, and... something else. "Wolfpelt! I think I can smell a mouse!" The gray she-cat let out a small ''mrrow of amusement. "I was wondering when you were going to figure that out. But we're not here to hunt, Maplepaw. I'll show you the territory and then we'll have our first battle training session."